Who can forget
their first experience with Star Wars - the powerful music broadcast in
the background as the words scrolled up the movie screen. That music spoke of
exciting adventures to come. Throughout the movie, composer John Williams
wowed
us with the beauty of his musical creations as he set the tone for each scene
through his musical score, enhancing the visuals of the movie and making the
story created by George Lucas
even more dramatic and amazing. This is a
celebration of the music of the Original Star Wars Trilogy.

When I first saw
Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, I was mesmerized. George Lucas captivated
me with his story of a rebellion led by unlikely heroes against a tyrannical
empire led by a dark clad powerful abomination. I saw the movie multiple times
after that first showing and begged my parents for the soundtrack album. Back
then, soundtracks were vinyl and I'm amazed that I never wore the record through
with how many times I listened to the thing.

The music of
Star Wars was very distinctive. Not only had John Williams come up with
themes for each character of the film, he had come up with themes for every
location. When you listen to the soundtrack of Star Wars: A New Hope,
you can completely replay the scenes of the film in your mind. There can be no
confusing scenes on the Death Star
with scenes on the deserts of Tatooine.
There is no confusing scenes containing Luke Skywalker
with scenes containing Darth Vader. This style of composing was created in the 1930s, but perfected by John
Williams.

To adequately
describe how the music defined the film, one must look at the various styles in
which John Williams defined the characters and places within the movie. Members
of the rebellion were usually musically described through woodwinds like flutes,
clarinets
and oboes
and strings, mostly violins. The sounds were in the higher
ranges of the instruments, sometimes casting a solemn and humble tone, other
times projecting hope and a sense of peacefulness. These instruments are used
to describe characters like Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi
and Princess Leia Organa.
They are also used to describe the desert planet of Tatooine.

The villains of
the tyrannical Empire receive quite the opposite treatment. They are heralded
by crisp horns and tympani drums. Their theme music is harsh and militaristic
in sound, adequately describing an Imperial army bent on destruction of all
resistance. Every time the scene switches to an Imperial creation such as a
star destroyer
or the Death Star, we hear this theme and know that our heroes
are in trouble.

Action sequences
are met with enthusiastic trumpets
and percussion. There is no denying when a
fight scene is taking place. Whether it's a space battle between starships or a
shootout between individuals, the excitement of the scene is perfectly enhanced
by the loud and fast-paced performances composed and conducted by John Williams.

Having listened
to the soundtrack numerous times in various incarnations (I've owned it on vinyl
record, cassette tape and CD), I have developed an affinity toward certain
tracks. I love how the first track of the album is the 20th Century Fox Fanfare, composed by
Alfred Newman
in 1954. This track puts you right into
the theater, hands wrapped around your favorite confections, waiting in joyous
expectation for the movie to begin. Who out there can't say that they love the
Main Title? This is a track that appears in just about every
Star Wars film in some way, shape or form. The striking brass, the melodic
flutes, the beauty of the orchestra - this composition promised an epic
adventure and will go down in history as one of the most popular movie
compositions of all time.

Two other tracks
stand out for me - Cantina Band and Princess Leia's Theme. The
music of the Cantina Band is a great deal of fun - jazz
mixed with swing
and the
island flare of steel drums. Who could have thought these styles would mix so
well with one another creating a track that is incredibly enjoyable and
absolutely memorable. Princess Leia's Theme is perhaps the most
beautiful piece of musical scoring to be found on the album. The theme serves
to recreate Leia's purity of soul through the use of flutes and violins. The
finale of the theme, performed by violins in a rising crescendo represents
Leia's determination of spirit. The beauty of this track is striking and will
remain with you long after the music has ended.

The second movie
in the Original Star Wars Trilogy sought to further acquaint us with the
characters of A New Hope. Each of our heroes experiences some sort of
personal growth while the villains become decidedly more determined to destroy
all rebellion. Darth Vader, in particular, becomes single-minded in purpose as
he realizes just who Luke Skywalker is.

Much like the
heroes in this film, the music of Star Wars goes through a period of
growth in The Empire Strikes Back. The original 20th Century Fox
Fanfare is still there, but the Main Theme has undergone slight
alterations. Three new themes were created for this film. There is a love
theme that represents Han
and Leia's new relationship to one another. This
theme, in various styles, appears mixed throughout the soundtrack of this film
and the next. Most often it appears as a sweepingly beautiful composition
performed by strings and horns that perfectly describe newfound love in all its
glory. The Imperial March
consists of harsh brass and percussion played
in a sort of militaristic march style. This theme is performed every time we
see Darth Vader. The theme for Jedi Master Yoda
is quite different than that of
the other characters in the film. Created through the use of strings, horns
flutes and the mystical qualities of the harp, the theme offers up a feeling of
wonderment as well as mystical enlightenment. This is a character who has known
triumph and sorrow and handles both with the wisdom and serenity of an old sage.

Despite the
addition of the new themes to the film score, what makes this soundtrack
incredibly different from the last are the brooding and ominous undertones. We
have come upon the Rebellion's most desperate hour. Their leaders are scattered
all over the universe and the Imperials are hunting them down mercilessly. Even
trusted allies are no longer safe - secrets, subterfuge and betrayal abound in
this film. An ominous theme deserves the ominous scoring provided by John
Williams.

Although I enjoy
the beauty of the love theme, no other music on The Empire Strikes Back
Soundtrack really stand out for me. This was not my favorite films of the
trilogy and so, I guess it's fitting that this is not my favorite soundtrack of
the series either.

As the third and
final installment of the Star Wars Trilogy, Return of the Jedi
promised to provide loads of excitement and a bit of closure for all Star Wars
fans. The Empire had created a new Death Star and the Rebels were preparing an
all out effort to destroy the new weapon. But first, a carbonite-encased Han
Solo must be rescued from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. Luke Skywalker must
return to his home planet of Tatooine to accomplish the task, but this time as a
Jedi Knight. Finally, he must once again face Vader in a final battle, one that
can tilt the balance of the galaxy into either favor - that of the Empire or the
Rebellion. Who can say for certain what the outcome will be?

Whereas the
musical score of The Empire Strikes Back represented growth as well as
despair, the score for Return of the Jedi must offer some finality, sort
of tying everything together. Thus, this album is completely different from all
of the others. Although some of the themes evident in the first two albums find
their way onto this soundtrack, there are new themes created to represent
newcomers to the trilogy and the new themes somewhat define the musical score.

One such
theme is that of Jabba the Hutt. A large, obnoxious creature, it is somewhat
fitting that Jabba's theme would feature the deep and ominous sounds of the tuba. Meanwhile, the small, furry denizens of the
Endor
jungle known as the
Ewoks
receive a playful, childlike theme. For the evil Emperor's
theme, John
Williams presents us with a dark and sinister orchestral suite, complete with
the worldless intonations of an all male choir. This ominous choral addition to
his musical scoring would later be perfected in the prequel film,
The Phantom Menace.

I have two
favorites in this soundtrack, one of which was removed from the film when the
Special Edition was created. First is Threepio's Bedtime Story
created as background music for Threepio's
relating the story of the Rebellion
to the Ewoks in hopes that they will join the fight. The music for this scene
blends all of the various themes presented throughout the movies. This blend is
performed in a primitive and almost childlike orchestration which never fails to
evoke a smile from me every time I hear it. My other favorite is Ewok Celebration, also known as the Yub Nub song. The song featured the
Ewoks singing in their language accompanied by primitive drums, woodwinds, bells
and other primitive instruments. To me, this was the perfect way to score the
celebration on Endor and I was disappointed when it was removed for the Special
Edition. It will always have a special place in my heart.

In closing, the
music of the Original Star Wars Trilogy stands out as some of the most
well-known and influential film scoring in our lifetime. John Williams was
admired before he composed the musical score for Star Wars. Afterwards,
he was celebrated as THE composer that everyone wanted. Now, he is worshipped
as the film music composing guru of our time. His musical influence has shaped
the film scoring industry and created a legacy which is certainly not easy to
follow.

This is music I
can listen to over and over again, reliving the memories associated with each
piece as my mind reconstructs each scene the music was created for. I may have
to buy another set of CDs thanks to how many times the ones I currently own have
been played. I can't get enough of the Original Star Wars Trilogy
Soundtracks and I will never grow tired of listening to them.